EAST ORANGE -- A weekend break-in at the Martinez 1-Stop Grocery store in East Orange led authorities to discover 15 caged and bleeding birds, steroids and a fighting ring, said police and state animal agents today.

Pedro H. Torres, 48; Flerida Torres, 49, and their 19-year-old son, Pedro Jr., all of whom operated the neighborhood shop on Tremont Avenue, each face 15 counts of illegal animal fighting and possessing fighting roosters that were found in the store basement Sunday morning, according to New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and East Orange police. A June 29 court hearing was set today for the family. The roosters were euthanized under a court order.

Google MapsTremont Ave across from St. Joseph's Elementary School in East Orange, the location of the Martinez 1-Stop Grocery store. Police say they uncovered 15 caged and bleeding birds, steroids and a fighting ring in the store.

"It's a shame, but that is the reality. These birds were bred for fighting. They cannot be brought to a farm or rehabilitated. That is the unfortunate fate of birds like this," said Glen Kassis, a state investigator with the NJSPCA.

He also said the probe is continuing.

East Orange police said the case began at about 6 a.m. Sunday when they were called about a broken front window and burglary at the store. The call came from a concerned citizen, not the Torres family, who lives on North 16th Street in East Orange. The family had not yet arrived to the store that day, police added.

"We got to the scene, and the front window was busted in at the store front. We did an interior check for suspects and found live roosters in the basement and cages. It appeared they were doing rooster fighting," said Lt. Sharon Mosby.

She said the discovery also helped to explain recent calls the police were getting from people who live around the store, which is located across Tremont Avenue from St. Joseph's Elementary School, about an inordinate amount of traffic at different hours of the day. Police said that, while they uncovered the alleged fighting operation, they did not apprehend the burglar.

Pedro H. Torres disputed the charges today claiming the roosters belonged to his son. He also complained that police searched the store without first contacting his family. Contacted by telephone today at the shop, Torres said he did not know about the burglary until the family arrived to work later that morning to find a store filled with police.

"There was no money in the register. Someone took a lot of stuff. We don't know who took it -- police or the robber. ... The police came into the store without a permit," Torres said. "My son is the rooster guy, not me. They gave me a ticket, but it's not me. I don't have nothing to do with that."

His son could not be reached for comment today.

Frank Rizzo, superintendent of the NJSPCA, said the elder Torres has a prior history -- he was charged with and convicted of possessing fighting roosters six years ago in South Jersey.

"The father had a prior in Camden back in 2003 and now he's turned it into a family affair," Rizzo said, adding that the birds seized at the store had been "freshly fought," probably a day or two before they were discovered.

"Some were in pretty bad shape," Kassis added.

According to the NJSPCA, people who arrange cock-fights affix sharp spurs to the ankles of the birds, enabling the roosters to slash each other, often inflicting fatal wounds. Spurs and steroids used to enhance the birds' fighting ability were found at the scene, along with fighting ring equipment, according to the NJSPCA.

Each count of animal fighting carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and $1,000 in fines, according to the NJSPCA.

Kassis said the East Orange discovery is typical of how authorities uncover animal fighting operations.

"We stumble on them," he said.

One of the largest operations in state history was uncovered in 2004 in Monmouth County after a motor vehicle stop by Howell police in which an officer observed a fighting rooster in the back seat of a car and started to question the driver. It lead police to a remote, dilapidated farm where 600 fighting roosters were found and later destroyed.

In 2007, members of Newark's Alcohol Beverage Control Bureau stumbled upon 16 roosters in the basement of a Newark liquor store during an inspection that lead to the arrest of an Elizabeth man.